


something about a boy—

by shuckit



Category: The Maze Runner (Movies), The Maze Runner Series - All Media Types, The Maze Runner Series - James Dashner
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Beach Holidays, M/M, Modern Era, Summer Romance, Summer Vacation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-02
Updated: 2018-06-09
Packaged: 2019-05-17 04:21:17
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,343
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14825142
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shuckit/pseuds/shuckit
Summary: Headed to the luxorious, sunkissed Bahamas, Newton Edison had prepared himself for a truckload of sunshine, soft sand, and bubbly drinks. Never had he expected to lose himself in the absorbing eyes of Thomas Stephens.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> i never manage to finish the fics i start writing so we'll see if this even gets past chapter 1 i'm sorry i suck

The airplane's low, fuel-led hum resonated in Newt's eardrums as he entered the machinery's dim corridor. Behind him, Minho laughed loudly at a supposedly dumb joke Teresa had said. Dragging his brown, leather-like suitcase behind him, the young blond scanned the second-class rate numbered seats, hunting for 206.

200, 201, 202, 203. . . 206. He released a small grunt as he lifted his suitcase into the compartment above the two-chair row. Ah, shuck, he didn't have the window seat.

"I'm sittin' in front of you," Minho wiggled his eyebrows as he plopped into the seat in front of Newt and began fiddling with the airflight pamphlets. Their small group found their seats scattered across the airplane's length with several being paired up or clustered together. The seat next to Newt remained empty as the plane continued to fill up with streams of people entering and finding their assorted seats. It was a jumbled, chaotic mess of strange and unfamiliar faces, each intent on finding their seat. The thrum of different voices blended with the muted airplane's grumble as Newt tipped his head back to stare at the airplane's ceiling.

Newt and his friends were all studying at the University of Denver. They'd unanimously agreed a year back to go on a vacation to a resort in the Bahamas but the plan had fallen through the cracks. But after spotting some good deals and a short holiday break, the time had finally seemed right. Both Teresa and Newt were taking the same photography class and had recently been issued a project that they were perfectly certain they could ace with the aid of the Bahama's beautiful scenery. 

"Excuse me."

Jerked from his thoughts, Newt's gaze shifted to the voice's source. His seat buddy had finally arrived. A sandy-brown haired boy, appearing to be around Newt's age, squeezed past and collapsed into his seat, a sigh torn from his lips. Newt blinked, prepared to offer a quick, friendly smile but his companion seemed intent on staring out of the window. At least the window seat wouldn't be wasted by a 34 year old man who slept the whole shucking flight and didn't look out the window once.

Sleep didn't sound like such a bad idea.

"Good Morning Ladies and Gentlemen!" An overly cheerful voice filled the plane. "Welcome onboard this flight to Nassau. My name is John Graham and I'm Your In-flight Service Director. Your cabin crew are here to ensure you have an enjoyable flight to Nassau this morning." The man droned on and Newt completely lost focus of whatever he was babbling on about. Screwing his eyelids shut, the boy attempted to find sleep.

—

It was the jerkiness of the plane that awoke Newt from his painfully brief nap. Once he'd blinked several times, clearing the sleepy fog from his vision, the blond realized sleep would most likely be unachieved. The plane had just barely set off - smears of scenery faded slowly as the plane lifted - and Newt's companion already had a greenish tint to his pale features. No way was Newt going to survive a four hour flight with the smell of vomit clogging up his senses.

"You alright there, mate?" 

Newt's companion glanced towards him, a queasy expression painted across his features. "Yeah, I'm good, thanks," the male mumbled with a small smile before averting his gaze to the fluffy clouds appearing through the window.

Newt wasn't buying it. "This your first flight?"

Returning his attention to Newt, the stranger managed a nod. "My friend was originally coming with me but he bailed last minute and I wasn't able to cancel my resort reservations so," he lifted his shoulders in a loose shrug, "I decided to come on my own."

"What a shank."

"Shank?" The puzzled expression on the boy's face was nearly laughable if not for the fact he remained a shade too green for Newt's liking. Distracting him from nauseating airsickness seemed like the only plausible sollution.

"Ah, it's a lingo my friends and I have." Newt explained as he reached over to tap Minho's shoulder from the seat in front of him. The boy merely grunted in response, too caught up with whatever he had already begun watching on his iPad. "That's my friend, Minho. And there -" the blond motioned towards a couple seats a short distance away, "- is Teresa, Brenda, Harriet and Aris." Newt gestured towards the seat next to Minho where a pretty blonde was seated with an earphone dangling from her ear. "And that's my younger sister, Sonya." At the mention of her name, the girl twisted around to glance at Newt and his companion, shooting them both a quick smile.

Newt mentally prepared for the boy's reaction - ordinarily, males would stutter a little before pulling themselves together and completely forgetting Newt existed as they focused on Sonya. It had happened far too many times before. The protective older brother side of Newt always yearned to punch the buggers straight in the stomach but thank heavens he had the self control to simply glare at the floor. In this particular situation, this was not the case. The boy awkwardly returned the smile before shifting his gaze to meet Newt's. "What's your name?"

"Newt. Short for Newton." He introduced himself, a smile curving the edges of his lips.

"I'm Thomas." The smile was exchanged and finally, it seemed, the pale green colour tinging Thomas' cheeks seemed to fade into a rosy, normal hue. Before Newt's momentary relief could last, the airplane jerked suddenly and began bouncing like a child on a trampoline. Thomas immediately shoved his head close to his knees and began inhaling shaky, jagged breaths.

“Ladies and gentlemen, the Captain has turned on the fasten seat belt sign. We are now crossing a zone of turbulence. Please return to your seats and keep your seat belts fastened. Thank you.”

Newt, himself, felt his heart drop in his chest as the airplane pitched downwards and bobbed upwards like a bouncy ball. "Shuckin' turbulence," he uttered under his breath as he clutched his armrest and glanced towards Thomas. "Mate, you alright?"

Thomas released a low groan that certainly didn't sound so wonderful. 

"Deep breaths," Newt advised but his counsel seemed to go unnoticed by Thomas. Reaching out, the blond clutched his companion's arm to get his attention. Thomas, turning his face towards Newt, revealed that his features had gotten greener and paler, if even possible.

"What resort are you going to?" Newt questioned, aiming to distract Thomas from the stomach - twisting turbulence.

"Atlantis Paradise Island or something cheesy like that," Thomas mumbled, rubbing his forehead, seemingly focused on staring at the seat in front of Newt. Newt didn't mind the lack of eye contact - whatever helped Thomas contain his breakfast where it belonged.

At the mention of Paradise Island, Newt's gaze widened and an immediate laugh burst from his lips. "Well, mate, looks like you'll be stuck with us. Your buddy who bailed will regret bailing. We're gonna have a shuckin' good time," he beamed.

Thomas's gaze finally slid to meet Newt's and the hint of a smile found it's way to his pale lips. "A shucking good time," the boy repeated as if tasting the sound of the unfamiliar word on his tongue. 

"You betcha."


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i want things to develop super slowly but i'm incredibly bad at that hhhelp .

Of course it was raining. Newt's luck could only get so far. He'd successfully gotten through the flight without having puke splattered anywhere near him; he'd maintained a casual conversation with Thomas for half an hour or so before displaying the variety of free movies they could watch. Not long after, the mousy-haired boy was lost in some movie or other and Newt found the chance to catch a few winks. The plane had landed half an hour ago and after exchanging numbers with Thomas and promising to hang out, Newt and his friends had gotten a ride to their hotel. And yet that was where Newt's luck abruptly ended. The sound of pounding rain lashing against the hotel's roof was increasingly calming and yet. . . Newt didn't want to be calm. He hadn't come to Nassau to sit around in a hotel and play card games with friends while the rain cascaded from the heavens. He wasn't going to let the rain stop him from having a shucking good time. And, as things would turn out, falling in love, either.

—  
_Newt added 708-384-9902 to groupchat “losers”._

Newt: this is Thomas, say hi everyone  
Minho: Hi shank  
Teresa: hi!!!  
Brenda: welcome to our gc we're losers  
Aris: I think the title already gave that away  
Sonya: :wave emoji:  
Harriet: <3

—  
Everyone had scattered around the resort's hotel in search of their rooms and like Newt had guessed, clearly weren't up to much considering they all responded within the next several minutes. The only person who hadn't so much as seen the messages was Thomas. What could that boy be up to? Newt had to admit; had it been a wise decision to tell a complete stranger that he should hang out with them throughout the entirety of their thoroughly planned, expensive and once-a-lifetime trip? 

Oh well, sometimes Newt's compulsive kindness could get him in sticky situations. And who knew, perhaps Thomas would make good company.

Newt approached his room's large, expansive windows. His view was extraordinary. Dark, thunderous clouds churned in the sky, laced with flashes of lightning. The ocean was alive with an energy that only a storm could give. Grand waves charged at the empty sandy shores, crashing against rocks and loose sand. 

A small, absentminded grin spread across Newt's features as a thought took form in his mind. Wasn't it wonderful swimming weather?

—  
Newt: so, who wants to go for a swim?  
Aris: have you looked outside recently, bud?  
Minho: are you okay? Do you need medical attention? Teresa's probably got you covered  
Teresa: brenda and I are at the aquarium i'll pass  
Brenda: what she said  
Newt: every single one of you sucks  
Thomas: i'll go.  
Newt: hey, at least one person doesn't suck . What do you say about meeting me by the hotel's front door in 20 mins?  
Minho: you guys are shucking wild

—  
Maybe they were wild. But Newt wasn't going to let this trip pass without a little wild, a little crazy and a little fun. Typically, Newt was one of those laid back, work hard, supportive friends who never involved himself in any activity that didn't involve a cup of tea and a friend. But sometimes those regularities could be risked for blood-pumping adrenaline that reminded you what it felt like to be alive. This was a once-in-a-lifetime trip, was it not? Newt was going to enjoy it.

And that's how he found himself standing in the pouring rain with his swimming trunks and a broad grin on his lips as a boy he barely knew approached him with that same grin.

That same helpless, we're-going-to-regret-this-but-it'll-still-be-awesome, grin.

And that's how he found himself charging at the ocean with a brown-haired boy, yelling at the top of his lungs as the rain raged down on them. 

The cold ocean's salty spray stole his breath but his pace didn't weaken, not even for a second. And neither did Thomas'. He sucked in one last, final, exhilarating gasp of air before diving into the water's surface. The cold immediately consumed him and Newt could swear he felt every muscle in his body turn to ice. The water's impact rocked against his body but the wind's roaring and the rain's persisting chaos and everything that made the world so loud was silenced – nothing but him and the water. His limbs pumped as he pushed himself deeper into the dark, quiet world that was full of so many secrets and mysteries, his heart longed to explore. And then his lungs started to ache. 

Newt had lost all sense of direction and suddenly his lungs needed air so desperately, he panicked. Limb flailing, silent screaming, screwed eyes shut, panic. He felt so helpless as he pushed against the thick water, trying to find the surface and the source of oxygen his lungs were screaming for. 

The darkness suddenly felt far less enticing. It was a cold grasp and a reminder of death and Newt wanted _out_. Bubbles swirled around him and he could feel his consciousness slipping away second by second and yet he didn't give up. He pushed helplessly at the world that had transitioned into a prison so alarmingly quickly. 

Warm arms wrapped around his midsection and upwards, he soared. Or, correction, _they_ soared. Someone was helping him. Thomas. Newt suddenly felt incredibly stupid for not being able to grasp the concept of swimming upwards. Somehow the overwhelming panic of becoming trapped, his worst fear, had overridden any logical thought within his head. Kicking his legs and pushing at the water, Newt helped to push themselves upward. 

Finally, they reached the surface. They exploded upwards, droplets flying in every direction as the sturdy, thick grasp released Newt and he was on his own again. Treading water, he gasped for air, salty spray stinging his eyes and coating the inside of his throat. Air had never tasted so good. 

Newt spun around in the water, his chest heaving with the effort of providing his lungs with the sufficient oxygen they'd missed. At last he saw the boy who had helped him – dark brown hair plastered across his forehead and a wildly concerned expression painted across his features. 

“You bloody saved my life,” Newt could barely make the words out as he panted, staring so utterly helplessly at him.

Thomas smiled, a flash of white teeth, as he rubbed his forehead with evident embarrassment. As if it was no big deal. Newt wanted to smack the expression right off his shucking features.

“Thank you, Thoma -” He faltered momentarily, tasting the unfamiliar name on his tongue. It sounded too formal and strange for this kid; he needed a nickname. “- Tommy.” 

Thomas' quiet, absentminded smile blossomed. “I'm glad you didn't die.”

“Glad, are you?” Newt chuckled dryly. “Me too, mate. Me too.”


End file.
